Improved hames-fastener



Westera-M- mgm/ JOHN H. MCK iNLEY,

or NnvvYoRK. N. Y.

Letters Patent No'. 85,464, dated December 29, 1868.

IMPROVED EAMES-FASTENER.

The Schedule refened to in these Letters Patent and making part of the came.-

To all whom it may conce-rn: A

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MCKLNLEY, of the city of New York, in th county and State -of New York, have invented a new and improved Mode of Fastening Haines; and-I do hereby declare that the follewing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadA to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of this invention is to furnish; a fasteningl for haines on thecollar of horse-harness, that will be easily and quickly operated, either to fasten the hames upon the collars, or to release the harnes for removal, and that will be effectual and yet entirely secure as a fastening, and from liability to accident; and

It consists of a combination of devices, which, to gether, operate to effect theresult, when attached to ghe hames inthe manner to operate as hereinafter set To enable those skilled -in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is'a full view ofthe bar and loops to be used in place of the ordinary haines-strap.

Figure 2 is a side view of the fastener, to be attached to the haines.

Figure 3 shows a full collar and haines with my improvement attached, and in which- A represents a common collar of a harness;

B, the hames, all constructed in the usual manner; and to one side of the haines is attached the fastener, by means of rivets, screws, or other conve-ient and secure device; and to the other side ofthe hames, attached by means of a hook at the end of thel bar with the loops, are attached the bar and loops, which I intend shall take .the place and operate instead of the usual hames-strap, as shown more fully in gs. 3 and 4.

The fastener consists of a hook-plate, u, which is firmly secured to hames B by any means.

Upon this plate, near the end of the hook on plate a, is pivoted, at e, a hooked and bent lever, b.

Upon this bent lever or hook is a projecting stud, F, which, when in position, ts into a hole, g, in plate a, and thus prevents any. lateral motion.

The bar and loops, which -I intend to take the place of the llames-strap, and operate with my fastener, is a slightly-curved bar, O, with a hook at one end, D, and an ordinary eye, H,.at the other end, through which are pnt the loops t, that are intended to connect with the fastener, as described, and set forth in the above drawings and gures.

Thus the hook-end of the bar G, marked D, is passed through the metal straps or eyes which are ordinarily used to strengthen the hames, and the loops, marked t, are passed over the lever Z1, into the hooked part of plate a, as seen in g. 3, and when in position, the stud F enters hole g, in plate a, and is thus held securely in position.

To release the hames, it only requires one nger to be placed under the end of the bent lever b, and upon pressing the same upward, and toward the hook-end of plate c, the loops i, attached to'bar C, slip` over the hook-end of plate a, and the operation is complete, only requiring a single hand to release or fasten the haines effectually. l

Various modes of construction may be used in making hook-plate a, or bar c, or loops c', or -lever '11, without varying the principle of construction or operation p i of my invention; for instance, plate L may be formed with a slot inthe hook-end, and the hook-end of lever b be pivoted to the hook by means of a rivet or studs on the same, which`would h't into holes in the inner sides of hook on plate a, in such a way that hook-end of lever b will work in such slot; or bar c may be made dat orroinul, accolling to the taste or fancy of the user. rIhe loops fi., instead of being oblong, may be round, and made like rings within each other, and yet not depart from the principle of my invention.

I am aware that fasteners for haines have been made and used, .in which hook-levers are employed for tightening or releasing. the haines-straps, but such were not constructed like mine, as the hook-lever alone holds and operates the haines-straps, instead of allowing thef` real strain of the strap or looped bar to'rest on the hook-end of plate a, as in my invention, while, in the other methods used, in place of a haines-strap, those made and now in use, are a series of stiff rings or loops,

made in one solid piece, and mine, being separate, allows the strap or looped bar to play with the movements of the collar when in use, while the others, being stili", are

-liable'to either break or tear the collar; hence I cla-iniy that my invention is decidedly not only an improve. ment, but a new idea.

Hook-levers have also been used with the strap and ring to attach the hames; but the hook-lever as invented by me, used in connection with the bar and loops, as described herein, has never been used before. Besides, all other inventions for haines-fastener or 'straps cannot be used with pole-straps or neck-yoke straps, while, in my invention, in place of the haines- Astrap, I use the bar and loops, and the whole apparatus of fastening or releasing the haines is out of the way of the neck-yoke or pole-straps.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The hook-platea, bent lever b, having stud F, hole g, and pivoted together as described, in combination with the curved bar C, with hook D at one end, the4 v ordinary eye H at the other, and the movable loops fi, all being constructed and arranged, with relation to each other, and to operate together in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

JOHN H. MGKINLEY. Witnesses:

WM. H. BRowNn, M. C. MITCHELL. 

